As unemployment rises, gas prices climb and the mortgage crisis deepens, Jay Nixon is betting that health care is the problem that Missouri's next governor can actually address.
The Democratic candidate has built his campaign on how the high cost and often limited availability of medical care wreak havoc in individual lives, burden taxpayers and hurt the economy.
Nixon last month proposed an ambitious plan that would cover every child in the state with modestly priced insurance. It would reduce the number of uninsured adults by restoring eligibility for Medicaid to 2005 levels. And by reducing the number of uninsured and fostering price competition among insurers, the plan would attempt to bring down health insurance costs for everyone.
But Nixon stumbled when he unveiled his plan by overstating the estimated total cost by $265 million. He originally said the plan would cost the state $265 million and generate $696 million in matching funds, making the total cost $961 million. He backtracked three days later, saying the total cost was $696 million, with $265 million coming from state coffers.
Read the full story at kansascity.com.